5 Most Famous Poker Players

Poker is one of the most lucrative casino games whereby you can earn large sums of cash. More than any other game, it requires skill, discipline and consistency over a long period of time to be continually successful. This is why the top players have earned tens of millions of dollars during their careers that have spanned a number of decades. They were not just flashes in the pan who went on a hot streak for a short period of time and were never seen again, they have performed consistently well throughout a number of decades.

Online poker has meant that not as many people are playing live games, but the internet has allowed many of the major players to become famous and easily recognized. They spend their time between online poker games, as well as real life tournaments and cash games.

These are the players who have seen it all and are still around today exhibiting their skills for the world to see. Check out five of the most famous poker players in the world.

Daniel Negreanu

Negreanu hails from Canada and is a high school dropout. He has been recognized as one of the leading players in the game for many years now. Currently 41 years old, he has six Word Series of Poker bracelets, as well as a couple of World Poker Tour Championship titles. A lot of his success has been attributed to being able to reads his opponents during cash games and tournaments, often being able to correctly predict what hand they are holding.

He identifies what hands these players may be holding during the course of the session and how they have been playing them. This gives Negreanu a good idea of what their play-style is and allows him to narrow the range of cards they may have to a very short list. He is constantly appearing on television poker shows, documentaries and he is one of the most recognizable players in the game.

Antonio Esfandiari

Originally from Iran, Antonio has impressed players and fans alike for his poker playing abilities. He was originally a magician before tying his hand at poker. He has two World Poker Tour Championships to his name, as well as having three World Series of Poker bracelets. He won the largest cash prize in the history of poker in 2012 at the “Big One for One Drop” which was a $1 million buy-in event that was in aid of the One Drop Foundation.

The prize totaled nearly $18.4 million. He led the all-time earnings in tournament play for a long time until he was overtaken by Daniel Negreanu. The 38 year old is one of the more entertaining players on the tour and his nickname “The Magician” is apt for both on and off table behavior. His brother Paul has also played poker professionally over the years.

Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth is one of the most volatile poker players you will see on the professional circuit, but he also has the most World Series of Poker bracelets in history, having won fourteen to date, with his first one coming in 1989 at the No Limit Hold’em World Championship and his latest one coming in 2015 at the Seven-Card Razz event. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame and has his own line of branding and clothing that matches his “poker brat” personality.

He had been the youngest player to have ever won the Main event at the World Series of Poker as a 24 year old in 1989 where he beat the two-time champion Johnny Chan in a head to head. He also has the record for most cashes in WSOP (108), as well as the most final tables at WSOP events with 52.

When he takes a bad beat, Hellmuth shows why he is known as the poker brat. Multiple times on poker television shows, Helmuth has stormed off set vowing never to return due to other players doing something to set him off. When you search for most heated poker arguments and the likes on YouTube, Phil Hellmuth will feature heavily in all of the compilation videos.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey has been one of the main poster boys for professional poker for many years now. He has ten World Series of Poker bracelets to his name as of this moment in time, as well as having one World Poker Tour title. He was widely been regarded by observers of the game and his contemporaries as being the best all-round poker player in the world. As a result, he was given the nickname of being “the Tiger Woods of poker.”

His best year in poker in terms of bracelets came in 2002 when he won a whopping three different WSOP events. He is currently tied for second on the list of all-time bracelets, alongside the legends that are Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan. He is the youngest player to have reached that milestone, as well as being the quickest to do so between winning his first and most recent bracelets.

When looking at online poker, Ivey as part of the original design team for Full Tilt Poker. He has been involved in some controversies concerning edge sorting, most notably in London, England where he was reported to have won almost $11 million playing Punto Banco but was not paid more than his stake as he was accused of edge sorting.

Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson is currently 83 years old and he is still a vital member of the poker scene. He has been playing professional for more than 50 years, has won two World Series of Poker Main Events, is part of the Hall of Fame and has ten WSOP bracelets.

He was the first player to even win $1 million from poker tournaments and is second all-time in terms of bracelets won. He is part of a select group of four people who have won the Main Event of the WSOP multiple times, doing so back to back in 1976 and 1977.

He is believed to be the most influential force in world poker. His book Super System was a bestseller and is one of the highly regarded books on poker strategy in the world today. His son Todd has won one WSOP bracelet himself, becoming the first father-son duo to achieve this feat. He currently still plays on the circuit and runs his own online poker platform.

Top Sites

up to £200 bonus

Up To $200 Bonus

Up To £150 Bonus

Up To $200 Bonus

Up To £/€50 Bonus

It is your responsibility to verify and examine all aspects of your bonus. Please read the terms and conditions carefully. We provide no guarantee as to the timeliness or accuracy of the information found on this site.